Music superstars Beyonce, Jay-Z and Ariana Grande all lead the race to best original song as Oscars‘ 2022 music shortlists are revealed.<\/b>
\nThe music shortlists for Oscar consideration, announced Tuesday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, might just be the most star-studded lineup in history. Nearly all of the 15 songs on the list for potential nomination have been written or recorded by pop superstars, and the approximately 375 members of Oscar\u2019s music branch are going to have a difficult time paring the list down to five best-song nominees. The most interesting matchup involves spouses Jay-Z (cited for his song \u201cGuns Go Bang\u201d from \u201cThe Harder They Fall,\u201d Jay-Z also served as the film\u2019s producer) and Beyonc\u00e9 (for her \u201cBe Alive\u201d from \u201cKing Richard\u201d). Three songs on the shortlist are by past Oscar winners: H.E.R., last year\u2019s reigning victor for \u201cFight for You,\u201d has \u201cAutomatic Woman\u201d from \u201cBruised\u201d in contention; \u201cLa La Land\u201d songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are co-writers of \u201cThe Anonymous Ones\u201d from \u201cDear Evan Hansen\u201d; and Jennifer Hudson is one of the writers on \u201cHere I Am (Singing My Way Home)\u201d from the Aretha Franklin biopic \u201cRespect.\u201d Hudson could potentially be in the running for Best Actress come nominations morning. James Bond theme \u201cNo Time to Die\u201d \u2014 already a Grammy winner for writers Billie Eilish and Finneas \u2014 is a likely lock for a nomination. Songs from animated movies are always serious contenders, and this year they include Lin-Manuel Miranda\u2019s \u201cDos Oruguitas\u201d from \u201cEncanto\u201d and U2\u2019s \u201cYour Song Saved My Life\u201d from \u201cSing 2.\u201d Should Miranda go all the way, he would complete his EGOT with the win here. Sparks has \u201cSo May We Start?\u201d from \u201cAnnette,\u201d Ariana Grande \u201cJust Look Up\u201d from \u201cDon\u2019t Look Up,\u201d and Idina Menzel \u201cDream Girl\u201d from \u201cCinderella.\u201d Music royalty from earlier generations who could snag nominations include Van Morrison for \u201cDown to Joy\u201d from \u201cBelfast,\u201d Brian Wilson for \u201cRight Where I Belong\u201d from the documentary \u201cBrian Wilson: Long Promised Road\u201d and Carole King, co-writer with Hudson on the song from \u201cRespect.\u201d Twelve-time nominee (thus far without a win) Diane Warren is back in the mix with \u201cSomehow You Do\u201d from the obscure drama \u201cFour Good Days,\u201d and the well-liked \u201cCODA\u201d is also on the list with \u201cBeyond the Shore,\u201d by veteran pop producer Marius De Vries. Most of the 15 original scores on Oscar\u2019s 2021 shortlist were predictable, including two by Radiohead\u2019s Jonny Greenwood \u2013 \u201cThe Power of the Dog\u201d and \u201cSpencer\u201d \u2013 and two by movie-music veteran and past Oscar winner Hans Zimmer: the sci-fi \u201cDune\u201d and the 007 epic \u201cNo Time to Die.\u201d But this year\u2019s list was also surprisingly diverse, including one woman and four persons of color: Mexican-American composer Germaine Franco was cited for her colorful \u201cEncanto\u201d score. Three African-American composers also made the list: Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe for \u201cCandyman,\u201d Jeymes Samuel for \u201cThe Harder They Fall\u201d and Kris Bowers for \u201cKing Richard.\u201d The only other past Oscar winner to gain a spot on the list is Alexandre Desplat, for \u201cThe French Dispatch,\u201d although four previous Oscar nominees are also included: Daniel Pemberton for \u201cBeing the Ricardos,\u201d Nicholas Britell for \u201cDon\u2019t Look Up,\u201d Alberto Iglesias for \u201cParallel Mothers\u201d and Carter Burwell for \u201cThe Tragedy of Macbeth.\u201d Two period pieces round out the list: \u201cThe Last Duel\u201d by Harry Gregson-Williams and \u201cThe Green Knight\u201d by Daniel Hart. Music-branch voters chose from 84 eligible songs and 136 eligible scores. Voting for the final five nominees in each category begins Jan.27, and the nominations will be announced on Feb.8. The 94th Academy Awards are on March 27. The alphabetical lists follow. The Academy announced only the film titles and song titles, not the specific composers or songwriters. \u201cBeing the Ricardos\u201d \u201cCandyman\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t Look Up\u201d \u201cDune\u201d \u201cEncanto\u201d \u201cThe French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun\u201d \u201cThe Green Knight\u201d \u201cThe Harder They Fall\u201d \u201cKing Richard\u201d \u201cThe Last Duel\u201d \u201cNo Time to Die\u201d \u201cParallel Mothers\u201d \u201cThe Power of the Dog\u201d \u201cSpencer\u201d \u201cThe Tragedy of Macbeth\u201d \u201cSo May We Start?\u201d from \u201cAnnette\u201d \u201cDown To Joy\u201d from \u201cBelfast\u201d \u201cRight Where I Belong\u201d from \u201cBrian Wilson: Long Promised Road\u201d \u201cAutomatic Woman\u201d from \u201cBruised\u201d \u201cDream Girl\u201d from \u201cCinderella\u201d \u201cBeyond The Shore\u201d from \u201cCODA\u201d \u201cThe Anonymous Ones\u201d from \u201cDear Evan Hansen\u201d \u201cJust Look Up\u201d from \u201cDon\u2019t Look Up\u201d \u201cDos Oruguitas\u201d from \u201cEncanto\u201d \u201cSomehow You Do\u201d from \u201cFour Good Days\u201d \u201cGuns Go Bang\u201d from \u201cThe Harder They Fall\u201d \u201cBe Alive\u201d from \u201cKing Richard\u201d \u201cNo Time To Die\u201d from \u201cNo Time to Die\u201d \u201cHere I Am (Singing My Way Home)\u201d from \u201cRespect\u201d \u201cYour Song Saved My Life\u201d from \u201cSing 2\u201d<\/p>\n